Groundhog Day

Anyone who has seen the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murry might recall how his character had experienced the same day over and over.  Maybe that's what you are expereincing as you read these blogs every day.  You might think Pastor's lost his mind and is showing us the same pictures of monastaries every day.   

Indeed, as you view all these monastaries/churches with fortresses built around them and housing accomodations for the monks or nuns who are caring for these buildings and grounds, you might be thinking that all these places look a lot alike.  Well, let me assure you that you are not imagining this.  The monastaries themselves are constructed pretty much the same.  I even loose track trying to remember which one is which. But there are differences.  Some are larger than others.  The frescos that are painted on the inside and outside of the monastaries are different.  The dignitaries buried in the buildings are different people.  The living quarters for the Orthodox monks and nuns are different and the way in which the fortress surrounding the church building is also constructed differently including the bell tower.  

Today, Pastor Traian invited us to go on an after dinner walk through a local park and low and behold if there wasn't another church there.  However, this time the church was not an Orthodox Church and only had a narthex and a sanctuary. We were told that the church we visited last night was an Armenian Christian Church. This church was built in 1401 about 100 years before Luther came to be known.  It is built on the northern side of Suceava in the Bucavina district. 

In 1690 this monastery became the headquarters of the Polish army for all of their operations in Moldavia related to Poland's participation in the war of the Holy League against the Ottoman Empire.  Staying at the monastery for several years, the Poles built an extensive network of fortifications which are still there to this day. The monastery's popular name, "Zamca", likely comes from this period; it is derived from zamek, the Polish word for castle.

Pr. Traian Niculescu told us that they had wanted to use this church building as the place to house there Holy Trinity Lutheran mission congregation.  The building is not currently in use and would have served them well.  It is still open for people to come and visit as we did yesterday.  They are using another church building in town for which they are very grateful.  You can see pictures of that church on the July 12 blog.  

Our walk through the park was wonderful.  We got to see the city from one of the peaks we climbed in the park.  Enjoy.

"Where's Pastor ?!" 

Luther Quote of the Day

"God made man out of nothing; and as long as we are nothing God can make something out of us."

Another Bonus Pic

Here we are at the gate to the monastery we visited today.